urban | rural | wild

The inaugral issue of AREA | Chicago features a piece on the exhbition "Urban, Rural, Wild" that is now on display at the I Space Gallery in River North (until October 22). The exhibition presents "work by eight artists addressing the complex historical and contemporary relationship between metropolitan Chicago and downstate Illinois."

Immediately, one thinks of the glaring "blue-red" distinctions between Chicago and pretty much the rest of the state, a top-weighted population that made Illinois a blue state in a sea of red in the last presidential election. But the interdependence of city and country -- in terms of resources, manufacturing, service, education, etc. -- also can't be ignored. Having yet to see the exhibition in person, and judging by a William Cronon quote emblazoned on the exhibition web site (worth visiting just to see the stitched aerial -- portion visible below -- that illustrates the sprawling mess that is (sub)urban Chicago), it boils down to perception, the way we view nature and how that ultimately informs the way we treat it.



The exhibition is organized by Sarah Kanouse and Nick Brown and includes these artists:

:: Thomas Comerford
:: Brian Dortmund
:: Jim Duigan
:: Free Walking
:: Nance Klehm
:: Laurie Palmer
:: Michael Piazza
:: Daniel Tucker
:: Frances Whitehead